Work Together Wednesday: Week of the Young Child
Children enjoy Work Together Wednesday for Week of the Young Child by building and exploring a sensory flower garden tog...
Children enjoy Work Together Wednesday for Week of the Young Child by building and exploring a sensory flower garden together.
What you'll need
- sensory table OR plastic tub
- dirt
- child gardening shovels and rakes
- twigs
- large rocks
- grass
- nontoxic OR artificial flowers
- watering cans
Step by step
Step 1
Set out a sensory table or a large plastic tub. At a table nearby, set out dirt, child gardening shovels and rakes, twigs, large rocks, blades of grass, nontoxic flowers or artificial flowers, and small watering cans.
Step 2
As the children notice the materials, invite them over to play. Encourage them to work together to build a flower garden. Be nearby to answer questions and make sure they play safely. Observe how they play and notice the skills they use.
Step 3
If you have an outdoor flower garden area, you could also plant some real flowers or do the activity there.
Playful questions
Do you like digging in the dirt with the rakes and shovels?
How does the dirt feel on your fingers?
Did you pour water into the dirt? What happened?
Learning outcomes
Social-Emotional Development
Trust and Relationships
Responds to and shows awareness of other children
Shows interest in other children; responds to other children
Begins to interact with other children; side-by-side play progressing to interactive play using same materials; begins to show preference for some children over others; uses imitation or pretend play to learn new roles and relationships
Science
Physical Science
Observes how objects move when acted upon; pays attention to lights and sounds; imitates sounds; observes properties of materials (wet vs. dry; hot vs. cold, etc.).
Observes the ways objects move when acted upon; explores different sounds; observes and explores properties of materials (hard vs. soft; wet vs. dry; hot vs. cold, etc).
Explores different ways to move objects by applying force; explores light and sound; observes how properties of matter can change (water and dirt; melting ice).
Science
Observation and Inquiry
Uses body as a tool to gather information; reaches for objects; grasps objects; brings objects to mouth
Uses own body and adults as tools to help make observations and gather information.
Uses simple tools to observe things in the environment (sifter, water jug, magnifying glass).